AN – Okay, so it seems most of you aren't too upset with the new chapter, and plot, and I'm really relieved! Also, I'll answer any questions you have, if you're confused just let me know! I'll do my best to explain.


Crossing Lines

Chapter Two

Despite the elder's best efforts, word of the Uchiha's return managed to spread its way around the village in no time at all. There were several absurd rumors floating around, some of which made Sakura literally sick to her stomach. Also, the news of Danzo's death obscured the true nature of the Uchiha's homecoming. Everyone seemed to be under the assumption that Sasuke was to be going to be executed, when in reality, he was being rehabilitated.


Much to Sasuke's obvious displeasure, he'd been locked in this godforsaken jail cell for two days straight, with no visitors or human contact whatsoever. He had thirteen metal rods inserted all over his body which subdued his chakra to an absolute bare minimum. Whenever he tried to remove one of these rods, an unbearable pain would explode all throughout his body and he'd be left paralyzed for an hour. It was maddening, being locked in that cell alone; it reminded him of his childhood. At least when he was with Team 7 and Taka he'd had some sort of companionship. Hell, even Orochimaru was better than nothing.

The door swung forward on rusty hinges, and Sasuke's head shot up. He was shocked to see Sakura and Naruto standing in the doorway. He tried to sit up quickly, but found he couldn't. Internally cursing how weak he was, he propped himself up on the wall and eyed them warily as Sakura closed the door behind her. They stared each other down in silence, waiting to see who would make the first move. Surprisingly, it was Sasuke.

"Who do you think you are?" he growled maliciously.

With an undeniably proud smile, Naruto pointed to himself and said, "I'm the seventh Hokage, who the hell are you?" Sasuke tried very hard to keep his expression stoic, but failed.

"You're joking," he spat.

"Actually, he's not," Sakura interjected. He leveled her with a glare.

"Shut up," he warned.

"You're not in much of a position to be making threats," Naruto countered, causing Sasuke to turn his death stare upon him next. "It was just a joke," he mumbled, holding his hands up and shaking his head.

"I swear, Naruto. When I get out of here, I'm going to kill you first," he growled.

"Yeesh, enough with the death threats already. They're getting annoying," the blonde said, rubbing his temples. Sasuke's temper was getting out of control. He still hadn't fully healed from the battle due to his utter lack of chakra; every single cell in his body ached. His head felt like it was going to explode, and the pressure on his eyes was unbelievable. It was safe to say, Sasuke was a tad moodier than normal.

"Naruto, stop," Sakura snapped. She took a seat on the floor and pulled the blonde down next to her. "We're here to talk. And this time, you'll listen to what we have to say," she said forcefully. Sasuke scoffed, but acknowledged that he had no other choice but to hear her out. It wasn't like he was going anywhere.

"Sakura, I think it's time you knew the truth," Naruto mumbled. The pink haired kunoichi's eyes widened in surprise, and she stared at him questioningly. "The truth about the death of the Uchiha clan, I mean. Kakashi stopped me from telling you before, but I think it's best that you hear it from Sasuke himself anyway." Sakura nodded and stared at the Uchiha expectantly.

"Danzo and the elders ordered my clan dead," Sasuke said quietly.

Her jaw dropped as she gaped at him in shock. Composing herself, she said, "What? But I thought your brother…"

"Was ordered," Sasuke interrupted.

"So your revenge?" Naruto asked mockingly, crossing his arms behind his head.

Sasuke just stared down at the futon which he was currently sitting on. The grand lie of his existence was not his favorite subject to talk about. "I finally understand everything, Itachi and Danzo are dead, and it hasn't brought me any peace at all. Satisfied?"

Sakura sat utterly speechless. After a very long silence, she asked as gently as she could, "Is that true?" She watched Naruto nod out of the corner of her eye and exhaled a shaky breath. "That poor man," she cried softly, shaking her head in silent rage.

Something about seeing Sakura shed tears for Itachi triggered something deep inside the Uchiha. An emotion he hadn't felt in years. Comfort. It reassured him to know she still truly cared. For the second time in Sakura's life, she heard Sasuke say, "Thank you."

"F-for wh-what?" she stuttered while wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Sasuke just turned his head and muttered an 'Hn' under his breath. She glanced at Naruto in confusion, but he just shrugged and stood.

"Hinata's waiting for me," he announced, brushing the dirt off his pants. Sakura gaped at him frantically.

"You're leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah," he stated simply, sending her a pointed look. Petrified, she stuttered a goodbye as he closed the door behind him. An uneasy stillness filled the room upon his departure. Slowly, she turned to look at Sasuke. As uncomfortable as she was, she couldn't bring herself to leave him there alone.

"You said you had something to tell me," he inquired curiously, after she'd taken her seat on the floor again.

"Well yes," she began. "Naruto was named the seventh Hokage two days ago, and ever since, he's been working nonstop to find a way to clear your name. Unfortunately, the only solution he could come up with is keeping you here until it's deemed safe to release you," she paused to see if he was listening. "And he requested that I assist you in your recovery," she finished bluntly, waiting anxiously for his response.

"No," he said heatedly.

"You don't have a choice."


Sakura stood outside on the balcony. It was an unreasonably humid night, and she simply couldn't sleep in the smoldering heat. Besides that, the skies were clear. The stars twinkled vividly like diamonds against the night sky. She was exhausted, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. The outdoor scenery kept her motionless. She knew the feeling, to be captivated by beauty. It was a wonderful feeling.

The stars shimmered so brilliantly it made her long to reach out and touch them; but she couldn't. She knew what stars were, balls of gas burning and deadly. They were simply untouchable; suddenly, she couldn't stand to look at them anymore. Sighing heavily, she decided to pay Naruto a midnight visit. She hopped from the balcony's ledge to her neighbor's roof, landing silently and taking off in the direction of the blonde's house.


She knocked on the tiny window as lightly as she could, hoping she could wake him up. Instead, he rolled over and placed a pillow over his head. Groaning, she jiggled the window a few times until she was able to pry it open and climb into his messy room. There were clothes strewn across the floor that appeared to be almost categorized; shirts, pants, underwear. She immediately backed away from her assessment when a large cockroach emerged from an instant ramen cup near the 'shirts' pile.

"Naruto," she whispered, frozen in fear. The blonde heaved a hearty snore and rolled onto his stomach. Sakura's eye twitched. "Naruto wake up and kill this bug before I kill you!" she shouted as the cockroach inched its way towards her. The blonde sat up abruptly, disoriented.

"What?" he grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Some ninja talent," Sakura scoffed, crawling onto his coffee table. "Kill that disgusting insect before it eats you in your sleep." Naruto followed her gaze to the cockroach.

"You're freaking out like this over a bug?" he asked incredulously. He grabbed a tissue from a box on his bed stand and stood. Padding over to the offending insect, he leaned down to pick it up when it hissed at him. He shrieked and dived onto his bed.

"What is that thing?" he asked in horror, backing into the corner.

"Did it hiss at you? I didn't know bugs could hiss!" she exclaimed.

"Neither did I!" the blonde concurred.

"What do we do?" Sakura asked frantically.

"I have a plan!" Naruto proclaimed, picking up his trashcan and dumping the contents into a pile on the floor. Sakura watched in disgust as he crawled to the edge of the bed and scanned the ground for the cockroach. Upon finding it, he slammed the trashcan down around the bug, effectively trapping it. He placed an oversized book on top of it and collapsed backwards onto his mattress in relief. Sakura crawled down from the table and took a seat next to him. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I told Sasuke about your plan, and he's already made up his mind to be as stubborn as possible. I honestly don't think he cares anymore, this all seems so pointless," she whimpered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "And you're the Hokage now; the least you could do is keep your apartment clean," she reprimanded.

"I don't have the time woman! I'm buried under so much paperwork I can't even think straight, let alone keep my house clean," the blonde said defensively. "And there's not much we can do for Sasuke at the moment. It'll take time Sakura, but I think you have a better chance of getting through to him than I do."

The pink haired kunoichi sighed and nodded. "If you say so, but um, what are we going to do with that?" she asked, pointing to the trashcan. A chill shot down Naruto's spine and he shivered.

"Just leave it; I'll make Hinata get it later. She likes bugs," he muttered, a sweat drop sliding down his forehead. Sakura eyed him in disgust.

"Ew," she shook her head and leaned back onto his mattress. "So, what did you and Hinata have to do that you found important enough to ditch me for?"

Naruto blushed and said, "A date."

"A date?" Sakura exclaimed. He smiled and chuckled nervously. Sakura placed her hands in her lap and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm happy for you," she whispered.

"What you said before, about liking me, you were lying right? To protect me?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

"That was pretty cruel, you know," he laughed, rubbing his neck.

"I'm sorry," she cried, tears brimming in her bright jade eyes. Naruto sighed and hugged her.

"It's okay, I forgive you. I know you were just trying to protect me, but I'm not the one who needs your help," he said in an attempt to comfort her.

"I know!" she wailed, pulling on her hair. "I have so many things I want to say to him, but he won't listen! He's changed, Naruto. I know he was cold and distant before, but-"

"But what? He's still Sasuke. He needs us now, more than ever. I realize it's pointless for me to talk to him; in fact it probably does him more harm than anything. But I believe you still have the power to get through to him," he explained solemnly. She bit her tongue and muttered an unenthusiastic agreement. For the first time in ages, she found herself disagreeing wholeheartedly with Naruto's words.

That man wasn't Sasuke. The man she knew was cold and calculating, but he'd always managed to show her a little compassion. This man had attacked her with every intention of killing her. But then again, hadn't she sought him out for the very same reason? Mentally exhausted, she muttered a hasty farewell to the blonde and apologized for waking him. Naruto watched in confusion as she excused herself via the window.


AN – Alright, sorry. I know I said I'd post this a couple days ago but I've been having internet problems. I know Naruto being the Hokage is a little unorthodox, but don't worry, I'll explain. Since Tsunade is in a coma, and Danzo has been killed by Sasuke, there was no one who could take the Hokage's position. Since Naruto achieved Sage Mode he has become so powerful he is in a league of his own, and I thought it was fitting to finally make it happen, especially since the elders want to keep him in Konohagakure and away from the Akatsuki. If Tsunade wakes up from her coma, I might make her resume the position for a while, but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, review!